Like signage, décor delivers a message to customers. A clean, utilitarian design can tell customers a store is focusing on low prices and not spending a lot of money on fancy signage and décor. However, cheap, flimsy, or dirty décor can tell customers the store is not very focused on freshness or quality. Likewise, an elaborate or fancy décor can tell customers the store is high quality, but may be expensive. As in all factors of store design, a delicate balance must be maintained in order to send the most appropriate message to customers.
A designer must avoid falling into décor stereotypes. A modern décor does not have to be sterile, white, and devoid of warmth, just as a traditional décor does not have to be filled with antiques or old-fashioned lettering. Color plays a very important role in setting a mood. Using an abundance of oranges, browns and yellows may increase the overall warmth of the store, but it may also feel retro, like a return to the seventies. A designer may want to refer to one of the many color palette guides available in book stores in order to better coordinate a store’s décor. Dairy departments traditionally have used the colors blue, white or yellow for signage. Red would resemble the sanguinity of the meat department and is best for stimulating an appetite, but can also be too fiery for a cool department. Green is of course a traditional produce color, but so are wood tones and most earth-tones. Orange is typically too warm of a color for dairy, but it could refer to juice. Blue and white are cold colors, frequently associated with the frozen food department, but clearly refer to a cooler, fresher product. Yellow, although a warm color, can be crisp and fresh feeling.
Earth-toned colors are mutations of the traditional “jewel-tone” color palette. They specifically refer to colors found on, in or near the ground such as soil browns, clay reds, mossy greens, ochre yellows, and slate blues. These colors create a warm, subdued atmosphere but their overuse can create a rich, expensive décor. Jewel-toned colors like emerald green, sapphire blue, topaz yellow, garnet and ruby red, are rich, bright colors which can generate excitement and stimulate appetites. However, using too many of these colors together may cause over-stimulation or look too primary & childlike. The best way to integrate jewel-tones is to pick one and paint (or tile, or wallpaper, etc.) a single focus wall, leaving the surrounding/adjacent walls neutral or white.
Lamb's Palisades Market in Lake Oswego, Oregon
